Massachusetts Gaming Commission

The third time was the charm for the Massachusetts Gaming Commission as its regulators voted Thursday to award the state’s first sports betting license to Encore Boston Harbor after deferring similar votes for other outlets earlier in the week. The commission’s unanimous vote put the Everett casino owned by Wynn Resorts a big step closer to accepting in-person wagers...

As the Gaming Commission prepares to evaluate and possibly vote on Massachusetts’s first sports betting licenses this week, regulators got scant public input Monday on applications from the state’s existing slots parlor and casinos. The 10 a.m. hearing was meant to allow members of the public to weigh in on the three applications for in-person sports betting that commissioners...

One of the ideas tossed around was having in-person betting launch before the Super Bowl, and mobile betting by the March Madness tournament. But nothing has been agreed or voted on yet.

Under the “most aggressive” timeline that the Gaming Commission’s executive director thinks is doable, in-person sports betting could begin in Massachusetts in January followed by the launch of mobile betting at the end of February. But indications from Thursday’s meeting were that commissioners were not entirely on board. Putting extensive caveats on the first real indication of the commission’s...

The gaming commission is preparing to write the rules for legal sports betting in Massachusetts.

Hold your horses, eager sports bettors. After months of public pressure on the Legislature to legalize sports betting, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission telegraphed Thursday that it will take longer for them to make wagering a reality if or when the governor signs the bill than some people are expecting. “I want the public to understand, as we as commissioners are…

The actions of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission almost a decade ago could be put under a new microscope after the Supreme Judicial Court ruled Monday that a lower court should look more closely at the “highly unusual character of the commission’s actions” related to the award of a casino license to Wynn Resorts and the casino company’s purchase of...

The House on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a bill to legalize sports betting in Massachusetts, but even before the vote, the question of whether to allow wagers on college sports emerged as a major sticking point between the House and Senate.

Gambling revenues continue to tumble at Massachusetts’ three casinos as the facilities face more restrictions amid the latest surge of COVID-19. Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield and Plainridge Park generated a combined $45 million in gross gaming revenue last month, the state’s Gaming Commission reported Tuesday. The total revenues are down from $69 million in October and roughly $70 million…

It was not without a little bit of grumbling from operators, but the Massachusetts Gaming Commission finalized its minimum health and safety standards for the reopening of the state’s slots parlor and resort casinos Tuesday. The commission had already settled on a number of requirements last week — no poker, craps or roulette until further notice, blackjack-style gaming tables will…

Though not yet finalized, regulations set by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission call for no poker, craps or roulette until further notice, blackjack-style gaming tables capped at three players and slots machines spaced and separated with barriers.

Gaming regulators had hoped to finalize their rules for a safe reopening of the state’s casinos and slots parlor Wednesday, but opted instead to delay the adoption of final guidelines after licensees balked at some of the commission’s proposed requirements. The Mass. Gaming Commission met Wednesday to work towards finalizing its minimum requirements for reopening, and settled on a...

Faced with new challenges brought by the coronavirus pandemic, representatives from Massachusetts’ three casinos met with gaming regulators via teleconference Thursday to outline their reopening plans four days before the governor is expected to offer guidance to closed businesses. The plans, which included temperature checks, face masks and social distancing, were discussed in detail over the course of a nearly…

Encore Boston Harbor will this week present to authorities its plan for reopening amid the coronavirus outbreak, including thermal cameras, sanitized dice and temperature checks. The 23-page plan, which the casino is set to present to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission Thursday, details safety protocols Encore says is based on guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and medical...

Encore Boston Harbor will present a 23-page safety plan to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission detailing how they would reopen amid the coronavirus crisis.

Adults in Massachusetts would be able to bet on professional and Division I college sports in person and through web or mobile apps under legislation released Friday by a legislative panel that’s been studying sports betting for a year. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission would be given the discretion to write the actual rules for sports wagering, but the Joint...

A federal judge in Massachusetts has dismissed a $3 billion lawsuit accusing Wynn Resorts of cheating to win its casino license for Encore Boston Harbor. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patti Saris says Sterling Suffolk Racecourse’s allegations do not constitute racketeering violations under the federal RICO act.

The president of Encore Boston Harbor has decided to step down, Wynn Resorts has announced. Robert DeSalvio, who has led the casino and resort for five years, will be replaced by Brian Gullbrants, who was in charge of the food and beverage operations at Encore, the Las Vegas-based company said Wednesday.

According to Notos Group, the development group behind the proposal, the facility would be built on a 275-acre parcel off Glen Charlie Road just north of Route 25.

A group led by a high-profile developer on Tuesday announced a proposal to build a horse track, hotel and casino in Wareham, Massachusetts. If given the green light, the $300 million project would the bring southeastern Massachusetts its first casino and thoroughbred racing back to Massachusetts after the closing of Suffolk Downs in 2014.